Machines



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v D. R. FRALEY.

QUILTING- AT'TAGHMENT FOR SEWING MAGHINES. No. 321,287. Patented June 80, 1885.

WITNQSSES:

ATTORNEYS.

N. FEEERS. PMKv-Lllhnguphur. wumnpon. 0.1:,

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

1). R. FRALEY.

QUILTING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES. No. 321,287. Patented June 30,1885.

WITNESSES T INVENTOR:

NITED STATES PA'rnN'r @rrien,

DAVID ROBERSON FRALEY, OF LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNQR TO HIMSELF AND BAXTER SHEMlVELL, OF SAME PLACE.

QUILTING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING=MACHlNES.

PECIF CATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 321,287, dated Julie 30, 1885.

Application filed January 30, 1885. {No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that 1, DAVID Ronnnson FRA- LEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lexington, in the county of Davidson and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Quilting Attachments for Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of quilt- 1O ingfraines which are adapted to be attached to sewingmachines, to hold quilts extended while traveling to and fro to carry the same across the sewing-machine to be quilted; and the object of the invention is, first, to hold I 5 and stretch the upper and lower cloths which are to form the quilt independently of each other 5 second, to completely support the frame and quilt in a horizontal position when it is being quilted; third, to provide a tension which shall hold the quilt down upon the bed and feeder of the sewingrnachine so closely and truly that both the top and bottom cloths shall be fed evenly together; fourth, to provide means whereby the wadding may be in- 2 5 sorted, as required, to avoid carrying the completely filled or wadded quilt before the machine can quilt it in; and, fifth, to provide means to carry the continually-increasing roll freely above the sewing-machine bed, and yet to carry the quilt directly on the bed at the stitching-line.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a quiltingframe, hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an end elevation or front View of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Figs. 3 and eh represent a detail in plan and elevation.

A represents a sewingmachine.

13 represents the stationary frame of my quilting-frame secured to the table of the sewing-machine by means ofscrew-clamps G. The

frame B consists of a long rail, 1), having an elevated rib, E, a short plain rail, F, and Crossbars G, which join the two rails and rigidly secure them parallel with each other. This frame, in addition to being supported on the sewing-machine, is provided with two pairs of legs, H, at or near the ends of the long track, and adapted to stand at any re-= quired slant as braces to adjust the rail to the height of the sewing-machine.

I represents two single legs similarly attached to the short rail F.

J J are the end beams of the quilt-frame, joined by longitudinal beams K K, which are rigidly fixed thereto.

L is a roller journaled on the beam K, near the middle thereof, to roll on the rail F.

M M are rollers journaled to the end beams in line with the beam K, and grooved to roll upon the rib 13. By this means the three rollers are arranged in triangular relation to 6 5 each other, so that they insure a firm support to the moving frame with the least nun1- ber of bearings, and they allow the use of a short rail for the one roller, L.

N is a roll-shaft, journaled to revolve 111 the two end beams, and having awcb secured to roll upon it. This web is wide enough to extend to the beam K, and is for attaching to the shaft N the under cloth, 0, of the quilt to be made.

P is a ratchet on the shaft N, and Q is a pawl or detent to resist the unrolling of the cloth.

R is a roll-shaft journaled in arms 8 of the end beams, provided with a ratchet and detent, R". 7

T is the upper cloth of the qnilt,sccured to the roll-shaft R, in the same manner as the under cloth is secured to the shaft N. The bearings of the shaft R are in such relation to 8 5 the beam K that when the quilt is drawn under the latter the upper cloth thereof will rise to the shaft R- at a rearward angle of about forty-five degrees. This keeps the two cloths sufficiently apart to readily admit the wadding a between them when they are drawn forward. The wadding is placed on the exposed portion of the lower cloth, between the roller N and beam K. The forward ends or edges of the two cloths O and T are to be sc- 5 cured to a web, I), to be wound upon a rollshaft, 0, and the location for the first line of stitches is to be marked, with a row of pins placed to secure the upper and lower cloths together.

The beam K serves as a presser-bar to keep the work down upon the scwingma- IOO running out of line.

chine table and feeder, and the quilting-frame should be secured to the sewing-machine so as to bring the action of the needle to form its line of stitches parallel to the presser-bar andas close thereto as possible. The rollshaft 0 is journaled in the end beams,J,and is provided with a ratchet-wheel, d. The beams J turn up at their forward ends, 7',at an angle of forty-five degrees, and are each' provided with a series of notches, c, to serve as bearings for the roll-shaft 0. By this means the roll-shaft may be raised when the roll increases enough to bear on the table, and in being raised the roll is also carried forward by the inclination of the beams J, so that the increase in the roll is kept out of the wa of the work in stitching as well as up from the table. fis a detent to engage and hold the ratchet-wheel d. This detent is pivoted to a block, which is gained in at one side to fit upon the slanting portion of one beam J, and is notched up into its under side to fit upon the journal of the roller-shaft 0. This block is thus held in place upon the shaft in any position of the latter by means of said gain allowing the block to slide down the slanting beam to rest on the roll-shaft between the beam and the ratchet-wheel d.

In operation, the first seam is sewed to secure the two cloths together after they have been fastened into the quilting-frame, as described. Then roller 0 is setfree to unroll, and the two rollers N and R are turned to wind up the two cloths O and T until the upper cloth hangs vertically from its roller to the lower cloth. Then the batting may be placed close up to the first seam and be spread evenly over the lower cloth. Now the two rollers N and R are set free and the roller 0 turned to wind its web forward until that line of the quilt where the scam is to be sewed arrives at the needle. Now all the rolls areto be fixed to stretch the cloths and then the seam is to be sewed, the presser-bar K serving to hold the wadded work t gether and down upon the table, and also serving as a guide to the operator to see that the stitching does not get to This operation may be repeated until the quilting is completed. The length of the frame and of the rails will be proportioned to the size of work to be done. About eight feet is long enough for the quilt ing-frame for making common bed-quilts;but for fancy work smaller frames may be made.

what I claim as my invention,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

-1. The combination of the long rail D, provided with the rib E, the short rail F, the cross-bars G, joining the 'two rails, and the movable frame, consisting of end beams, J, longitudinal beams K K, firmly secured thereto, the cloth roll-shafts N Band 0, journaled in the end beams,J, the two grooved rollers M, joiirnaled in the end beams, J, to engage the rib E, and the roller L,journaled to the beam K, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of the long rail D, provided with the rib E, the short rail F,secured parallel therewith, the movable quilt-frame comprising the end pieces, J, provided with raised arms S, the shaft R,journaled therein above the plane of the frame, the shaftsNand c, journaled in opposite ends of the said frame, the roller L, journaled in the frame to engage the rail F, the rollers M,journaled in the frame to engage the rib E,and the presser-bar K,directly in line with the rollers M above the rib E, substantially as shown and described, whereby the upper and lower cloths of the quilt, when first brought together upon the wadding, are held between parallel bars, and the work of laying and guiding the quilt accurately is facilitated.

3. The combination of the end beams, J, provided with the turned-up slanting notched ends-j, the longitudinal beams K and K,fiXed to beams J, the shafts N and R, journaled in the end beams, as described, and the shaft 0, removably journaled in the slanting ends j of the beams J,.substantia1ly as shown and described.

4. The combination of the end beams, J, provided with the turned-up notched ends j, the longitudinal beams K K, the shafts N R and c,journaled in the end beams, the block gained in at one side to fit the raised end and notched in its lower side to fit the shalt c, the detent fipivoted to the block and the ratchet-wheel don the shaft 0, substantially as shown and described.

DAVID ROBERSON FRALEY.

\Vi tn esses G. W. RIcE, W. D. BIGGERS. 

